SpaceX to build its next-generation mars rocket in Los Angeles

As announced by Mayor Eric Garcetti on 16th April, SpaceX would build its “BFR” (Big Falcon Rocket) spaceship at a new facility in the Port of Los Angeles.

The company has plans to use the ambitious new vessel to send people to Mars by the year 2014 and to build an entire colony on the Red Planet within the next 50 to 100 years. The founder and CEO of SpaceX, Elon Musk, has said that the BFR could even transport people to the moon, clean up orbital debris, and launch satellites to low Earth orbit.

As SpaceX required additional space for this massive new endeavor, it decided to open up a new facility in the Port of Los Angeles that is situated roughly 20 miles south of the headquarters of the company at Hawthorne in California.

By the documents posted online by the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners, the new site of SpaceX takes up about 18 acres on Terminal Island, which is a small industrial zone in between the San Pedro neighborhood of Los Angeles and the city of Long Beach in California.

After an initial lease of 10-years, SpaceX would have the option of renewing the lease for the next two decades that means that the company and its BFR activities could be sticking around the Terminal Island for the next 30 years. As reported by the Associated Press, the rent would cost SpaceX approximately 1.38 million dollars per year.

The president and chief operating officer of SpaceX, Gwynne Shotwell said in a statement that SpaceX had called the Port of Los Angeles home to their west coast recovery operations since 2012 and they truly appreciate the City of Los Angeles’ continued partnership.

She further added that the Port would play a crucial role in the mission to help make humanity multi-planetary as SpaceX starts production development of BFR, the next-gen rocket and spaceship system able to carry crew and cargo to the Mars, moon, and beyond.

Bernadette Peterson was born and raised in Fort Lauderdale. As a journalist, Bernadette has contributed to NPR News Blog, Outdoor Magazine, and many other publications. In regards to academics, Bernadette earned a degree in business degree from A&N and earned her master's degree at the University of Florida. Bernadette covers local news and culture stories here at United News Desk.

United News Desk is an online news platform that serves news from the field of Science, Health, and Technology. United News Desk aims to provide up to date and truthful coverage from all across the world.